The gated community: residents' crime experience and perception of safety behind gates and fences in the urban area

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Abstract

The primary purpose of the study is to explore the connections between residents'
perception of safety and their crime experience, and the existence of gates and fences in
multi-family housing communities in urban areas. For cultivating discussions regarding
the connections between gated community territory, safety, and crime experience, this
study classifies apartment communities according to the conditions of their gating and
fencing: gated communities, perceived gated communities, and non-gated communities.
It investigates residents' perceptions of safety and their opinions and managers' opinions
on gated territory and safety.
The major findings from the surveys are: Residents felt safer in gated communities
than in non-gated communities. Residents' perceptions of safety in perceived gated
communities were similar to those in gated communities. These results reflected the
territoriality issue for improving residents' perceived safety in apartment communities.
Residents' perceptions of safety in architectural spaces showed that residents' fear of crime in public and semi-public spaces must first be addressed in order to ease residents'
fear of crime in an apartment territory.
The reality of crime in apartment communities differed from residents'
perceptions of safety. Gated community residents reported a higher crime rate than nongated
community residents. In addition to gates and fences that define apartment
territory, such elements as patrol services, bright lighting, direct emergency buttons, and
visual access to the local police were indicated as the important factors for improving
residents' perceived safety.
Some architectural factors and demographic factors exhibited statistical
correlations with residents' perceptions of safety. Those were types of communities,
dwelling floor level, educational attainment, family size, and annual income. For
predicting residents' perceptions of safety in their apartment territory, multiple
regression models were obtained and residents' neighborhood attachment was also
considered in the multiple regression models. The apartment community managers
emphasized direct maintenance issues and residents' social contact with neighbors for
improving residents' perceived safety.
In conclusion, design and managerial suggestions for safer communities were
proposed. For creating safer multi-family housing communities, territoriality and related
architectural conditions and managerial considerations and residents' participations are
emphasized. The concept of community programming for safer multi-family housing
communities is suggested.

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